In general, toothpastes contain several ingredients: an insoluble polishing agent, a binder, flavoring, and a liquid to give plasticity. The polishing agents most commonly used are phosphate salts such as dicalcium phosphate, calcium pyrophosphate, and insoluble sodium metaphosphate. Gum tragacanth and seaweed derivatives or cellulose derivatives are employed as binders. A wide variety of flavoring oils is used to give products a distinctive and pleasant taste; in post pastes, saccharin or cyclamate is added for sweetening, and often both are used. For liquid, almost all toothpastes employ glycerin and water. Tooth powders are essentially identical with toothpaste except that they contain no liquid and that the binder is sometimes omitted.
The search for agents that could be combined with a dentifrice safely and effectively to prevents caries (tooth decay) led to long experimentation with various compounds, culminating in 1960 with the discovery that stannous fluoride was effective against tooth decay. In the 1980s dentifrice were introduced that contained (1) agents that improve the effectiveness of brushing by loosening plaque, and (2) antimicrobial chemicals that help to prevent plaque buildup.
Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, found a substance called lysozyme in many secretions of the body, and in certain other plant and animal substances. Lysozyme has strong antimicrobial activity.
The use of antimicrobial chemicals and/or substances that attract and/or enhance lysozyme secretions are desirable to prevent plaque build-up on the teeth.
Mastic resin, obtained from the mastic tree, Pistacia lentiscus, has been used as an astringent, and has been used as an ingredient of varnishes and lacquers. It is also used as an ingredient of cement called asphalt mastic.